Chapter 38: Gratitude Pt. 2

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Vincent and I ran all the way from Calamitous to a vacant part of the woods I'd never been to. If I didn't know him, I'd think he was trying to murder me. My paws were covered in snow. My hind legs were aching. This was what it was to be a wolf. I struggled to keep up with Vincent as he picked up the pace. It felt like we were never going to stop.

That was, until I saw the cabin a few feet ahead.

Vincent headed straight for the cabin. He slowed his approach when we neared the cabin door. I remained in wolf form, waiting as he shifted back into human form. He twisted the knob, then pushed the door open. I could feel the cool air seeping out from here.

"Come on," he said.

I nodded and entered the cabin behind him.

The first thing I noticed: This cabin was nothing like the cabin we'd stayed in during our retreat. Not the one on our pit stop, and not the one at Grimfur. This cabin was more reclusive. It had a rustic cabin feel. Something small and cozy, made up entirely of old wood. It wasn't the prettiest cabin in sight, but it was comfortable.

There was a long cot against the wall. A mattress lay on top of it with two white pillows and a thin red quilted blanket. Other than that, the cabin was mostly empty.

"Give me a minute to get a fire started. When you change back, you can grab your clothes from the bag and put them on." Vincent was dressed in a pair of black jogger pants and a black t-shirt by the time I snapped out of my daze. He slipped on a pair of thick socks before vanishing beyond another door. Definitely needed that fire because it was dark and cold in here.

I hurried to transition back into my human form. I had no idea where we were going, so I'd brought a pair of gray sweatpants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and my fuzzy socks. Of course, along with a clean pair of underwear. Screw the bra. Vincent returned just after I finished putting on my glasses. There was some wood in both his hands. He threw the wood into the fire pit. I made my way to the cot and sat criss-crossed. Within a few minutes, he had a fire going.

"So, is this another one of your hiding spots?" I quipped.

Vincent chuckled. "I guess you could say that."

"How often do you come here?"

"Only when I want to get far, far away from Calamitous. So far, I can't be sniffed out."

"Ah okay. One of those days, huh?" I joked.

"Yeah, sure." He snorted, then headed for the bag. With furrowed eyebrows, I watched him rummage through it. A few seconds later, he removed his hand, hiding whatever he took out behind his back. "Anyways, it's probably all smooshed now because we were running but . . . here." I gawked at the large oreo cupcake in his hands.

"You bought me a cupcake?" I grinned.

"Don't you dare start." He lifted a finger as a warning. That caused my grin to grow wider. He removed the cupcake from its plastic container. From his pocket, he pulled out a single candle. He then inserted it in the cupcake and used a lighter to light it.

"You didn't have to do all of this, Vincent." I appreciated it though. A lot.

"Who said anything about having to?" he retorted.

I rolled my eyes.

"Uh but yeah, I know we don't get out of the alpha residence much. More or so you. But I thought you'd want to enjoy your birthday outside of Calamitous. I'm sorry, this probably isn't how you imagined your birthday would go. This is the best I could do on such short notice."

He rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes falling everywhere but mine. Oh hell. I raised to my feet with such determination, he'd probably think I'd lost my mind. But my only goal was reaching him. I pulled him to my level from the neck of his shirt and pecked his lips. He was shocked at first. But his shock eased into content when I let go and blew the candle out.

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